Paul Chong   Tuesday, 14 November 2017

It’s about fourteen years since I know & love Thee
Playing Thee in the Spring, Summer, Winter or Fall
But sadly & fondly I have to bid farewell to Thee
With chronic backache & glaucoma hitting me
I reluctantly need to surrender to nature’s call.

GOLF is “Good Old Loving Fun”.
The above lines briefly relate my romance with golf. I was an avid senior golfer . . . learning to play at an ripe old age of 65. I must be crazy then. Indeed I was, rising up before the first light of day, spring, summer, winter or fall. With my neighbour George Burns (you may be curious by this familiar name . . . the late George Burns, the famed comedian actor), we were always the first to tee off.

We were members of the Pickering Brook Sports Club. Weston Road, Pickering Brook, Kalamunda. As with most Australian country bush golf courses, this is a “sand green” course. The course green is a bit rough. The putting green is sand, which requires you raking the sand from the ball to the hole before putting. There are certain acceptable rules different from the usual lush green golf course.

We usually play nine holes, leisurely taking about two hours or slightly more. Quite often in the early morning hours from 5.30 am on, no other golfers were around, leaving the whole golf course to us. We often had kangaroos lying far off & around in family groups. They disappeared sooner than our appearance.

Perth is such a great place for golf. The climate is so conducive to afford you all-round year play. You won’t perspire in summer nor would you be cold in winter.

I was improving & lowering my handicap to 24 when I discovered that I could not see the flight of my golf ball & where it landed. At the same time, i was getting many more “windy” shots, all because my depth perception was deterred due to glaucoma. Further I was aggravated by my chronic backache, for which I had an L4/L5 spinal operation some 10 years ago.

Sadly, I have to say goodbye to golfing for the rest of my natural life. To know to part often break many a heart. Every now & again, I still try to drive from my car porch to the Darlington National Park fronting our home or putting in our own backyard . . . but it is not the same as playing with someone or a team as in Pickering Brook or elsewhere.

I contend myself in having played in Shenzhen(China), Genting Highlands (Malaysia), in & around Perth courses like Hillview Golf Course, Whaleback Golf Course, Araluen & others.

Most men will chase after skirts
But great men go after “holes”!
In golf, it’s getting your shot into the “hole” with the minimum of shots that counts!